The Cubs didn't have any more trades in the works as they headed into the final full day before the non-waiver trading deadline at 3 p.m. Sunday.

About the only thing anybody claimed to know for sure was that Aramis Ramirez was going nowhere, despite suggestions Thursday that he might be open to waiving his no-trade rights for the right deal.

On Friday, he said those comments were ''misunderstood.''

''My point was, I'm not on the market, as far as I know,'' Ramirez said, referring to a conversation with general manager Jim Hendry before the All-Star break — and a similar conversation between them Thursday night after the tweets hit the fan. ''We had a great talk, and we're on the same page. I want to stay here, and he wants me here.''

So what happens if somebody calls the Cubs asking about him and Hendry takes the information to Ramirez?

''Well, that has to happen first,'' Ramirez said. ''After that happens, we'll see what's going on.''

Which is basically what he said Thursday.

The bottom line is, he'll still be with the Cubs when the deadline passes. But the bigger picture — and maybe the source of the apparent confusion — is two-fold: